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Consumer cultures and everyday life

SOCI8025

MWT5

19:00 – 21:50

Friday

2nd semester

Lecture venue
Lecture time
Offer semester
  • Consumption is an important part of modern life. This course examines the role of consumer culture in the modern commodity economy and evaluates everyday life from a sociological perspective. It offers students a chance to revisit classical sociology theorists in the context of consumption (e.g., Marx, Weber, Veblen, Simmel), as well as some more contemporary thinkers on consumer culture (e.g., Bourdieu, Baudrillard) and everyday life (e.g., Lefebvre, Debord, de Certeau). It demonstrates how consumption in everyday life generates a fascinating mix of homogeneity, difference, hybridity, commerce, and democratisation for modern people in major creative cities. This course will also incorporate a special focus on consumptive practices in the Asian region.

    1. Analytically engage in the current academic debates over consumer cultures and everyday life;

    2. Demonstrate an awareness of the impacts of consumption on the everyday life in modern societies;

    3. Apply the theoretical perspectives to an analysis of the impacts of consumption on social life, especially in the Asian region.


  • Tasks

    Weighting

    Participation

    15%

    Presentation

    35%

    Individual essay

    50%


  • Baudrillard, J. (1998) The Consumer Society. London: SAGE  Publications.


    Bennett, A. (2005) Culture and Everyday Life. London: SAGE Publications.


    Featherstone, M. (2007) Consumer Culture and Postmodernism. London: SAGE Publications.


    Highmore, B. (ed.) (2002) The Everyday Life Reader. London; New York: Routledge.


    Kravets, O., Maclaran, P. and Miles, S. (eds.) (2019) The SAGE Handbook of Consumer Culture. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.


    Lefebvre, H. (1971[1968]) Everyday Life in the Modern World. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.


    Sassatelli, R. (2007) Consumer Culture. London: SAGE Publications.


    Storey, J. (2014) From Popular Culture to Everyday Life. Oxon: Routledge.

Part-time Lecturer

Dr Gina C Y Yang
Course co-ordinator and teachers
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